Bách Thảo Park

The Bách Thảo park, in Hanoi

The Bách Thảo park is the botanical garden of Hanoi, a sanctuary of greenery in the heart of the capital, created at the end of the nineteenth century by the French administration. The Hanoi audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this park among the oldest of the town, whose name means 'a hundred plants', rich with hundreds of plant species and giant ficus.

The garden of the hundred plants

The Bách Thảo park is the botanical garden of Hanoi, a true sanctuary of greenery in the heart of the capital. This garden was created at the end of the nineteenth century, on the impulse of the French administrator Paul Bert, in a vast green zone laid out to the north-west of the town, and it counts among the oldest gardens of Hanoi. The name Bách Thảo literally means 'a hundred plants', in reference to its great biodiversity: it shelters several hundred plant species, including rare orchids, giant ficus with spectacular roots and Sưa trees, a precious and emblematic essence of Vietnam, sometimes several centuries old. Conceived originally as an acclimatisation garden, destined to study and present the tropical plants, it today mingles botanical collections and atmosphere of a public park. You stroll there on shaded paths, between lawns, ponds, artificial hills and groves, in a restful calm that contrasts with the bustle of Hanoi. The park also shelters a small temple, nestled among the trees, that adds a spiritual dimension to the place. Much appreciated by the inhabitants, it hosts strollers, families, lovers of photography and practitioners of tai chi, especially in the first hours of the day. A stone's throw from the Ba Đình district and the West Lake, it is an interlude of nature and freshness. A botanical garden and a green lung, the Bách Thảo park is a fine stop of the discovery of Hanoi.

What to see

Here you discover the botanical garden of Hanoi, created at the end of the nineteenth century on the impulse of Paul Bert, among the oldest of the town; its name means 'a hundred plants' and it shelters hundreds of species, rare orchids, giant ficus and precious Sưa trees, as well as a small temple nestled in the greenery; shaded paths, ponds and hills make it a green lung appreciated by the inhabitants. The Bách Thảo park is a sanctuary of greenery of Hanoi. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Bách Thảo park lies to the north-west of the centre of Hanoi, near the Ba Đình district and the West Lake, reachable on foot. It is a public garden that follows its own opening hours, variable, and whose entry is generally modest. It is particularly pleasant early in the morning. It is best to enquire before coming.

What does the name Bách Thảo of the botanical garden of Hanoi mean?

It literally means 'a hundred plants', in reference to the great biodiversity of the garden; created at the end of the nineteenth century on the impulse of the French administrator Paul Bert, this botanical garden among the oldest of Hanoi shelters hundreds of species, rare orchids, giant ficus and precious Sưa trees, as well as a small temple nestled in the greenery.

Where is the Bách Thảo park in Hanoi?

To the north-west of the centre of Hanoi, near the Ba Đình district and the West Lake, in Vietnam.